The city of Salvation is a heaven on Earth to most, but to young Scryer it's walls are his prison. No one ever enters or leaves the city, but there's a first time for everything. Follow Scryer on an adventure for the ages through a world in ruin.

ATTENTION! To those of you who have already begun to read my story, thank you! however, due to some amazing constructive criticism I have received I will be updating and re-uploading the first few chapters! Please read them again, and tell me what you think! To all of you wonderful new readers, have fun and enjoy my story!

-End note-

Chapter One

"Bang!" The fireworks exploded in the distance, filling the whole city with light. The festivities had been going on for almost an hour, and the city was filled with joy. It wasn't often that this place celebrated. It was actually quite rare for the citizens to rejoice at all, for that matter. For most of the year the people of Salvation busied them selves with work, and family matters. It was a hard place to live; strict and unforgiving. In a single day the wealthy could become the homeless, and homeless fall to death.

"Bang!" Another explosion went off. Tonight was the one night every year that the people relaxed, and enjoyed themselves. It celebrated the day the great walls construction finally ended.

The city of salvation was a strange city indeed. The people born in salvation stayed in salvation for their whole lives. The farms that kept the people eating, the power plants, and all the factories to supply goods to the people all were within the city limits. The city limits were set in stone. A single giant grey stone wall surrounded the city; at a height of 50 stories, it had only one doorway out. However, there was a catch. Those who left through the small wooden door were never allowed back in.

Why then, many wondered, was one boy staying home on a night that was celebrated so happily? While the rest of the city partied, and drank, Scryer Wyrmthief sat in the windowsill of his room on the fourth story of his apartment complex; He stared down into the city centre, where the people laughed and sang; the bright neon party lights soaked from the street vendors into his room. He could feel his heart ache to be down there, to be with them, but knew only trouble could come of it.

Scryer sat alone, a small breeze blowing through his shaggy, sandy-blonde hair. Sometimes it's on nights like these, He thought to himself, that I wish father never left. No, I can't think like that. He had to leave, he had to! He told me so... I just wish that he took me with him.

He stared wistfully into the sky, where the blanket of night graced the world. He counted one at a time three moons and wondered where the fourth one was hiding. Behind the wall, perhaps? In the distance he could see what seemed like fireflies, hundreds of them speeding through the night towards the city. He ignored them.

The four moons of Erlton, Scryer's home planet, were more like separate planets entirely then moons, but they all orbited around Erlton. The first moon, Eglacias, was the largest of the four. It looked like a giant cube of ice in the sky, and the nights always seemed colder when it was around. The second moon was almost equal in size, this one being called Kyndle. It's surface looked like that of a never ending desert. Thirdly there was the moon of Vitctoria. It was smaller then the first two, but not by much. It's surface was green, and Scryer always assumed that it was covered in a lush forest of life. Lastly there was the planet known as aqua. It's surface was an ocean, crystal blue and captivating.

Every night was the same, Scryer would spend hours gazing into the night sky, wondering what lurked behind the walls of the city. Was his planet a lush forest, of a vast ocean? Maybe it was a a never ending plain of grass, or a vast mountain range. Maybe, just maybe, Erlton was a planet of all of these things mixed together! What an amazing though. A world to explore, a vast empire of treasures of the eye. Oh, the things I would do if I left this city.

The elders would tell stories of the things that lurked behind that wall. They said in was a world made up of death, and decay, but Scryer never believed them. They explained that the horrors, and monsters that would exploit any chance they got to get into the city. The wasteland of a world that awaited any who chose to confront it. The chance of survival, nonexistent. They would tell stories of those who had dared to leave through the door. Those who never came back. Those who did come back were not allowed in for they had been 'corrupted by the sins of the outside world'.

Scryer would question them. Although forbidden Scryer would march into the great hall of elders, and demand a presence with them. He would argue with them, and slander their 'great wisdom'.

"How do you know what truly lurks behind that door, if you do not allow anyone to return? How are you so unsure that beyond that door is a world so amazing, so wonderful that it would make this 'Salvation' seem like the fiery pits of hell?" He would yell at them, and question the elders, but they never answered him. Boys who thought out of line, and thought for themselves were frowned upon. They were the kind of people who left salvation, never to return. Every time he spoke out he would be thrown back to his house, escorted by a police officer.

"Really, Scryer, you have to stop with this imaginative nonsense of yours!" The officer's voice echoed through the boy's head. It was only this afternoon when the officer had been scolding him. "I- I know that it's hard for you! Your dad, he- ...he made some bad decisions, okay, but that does not meant that you have to follow in his misleading footprints!"

"No matter how many times you tell me, I will never stop fighting you! All of you! This whole cursed city is only a prison waiting to crumble!" Every time it was the same. They would argue back and forth for a few minutes, and then Scryer would flee back into the confines of his room. On occasion though he would grab the old rifle left behind by his father, and venture into the forest district of the city, sneaking through the back exit of the building. Although the elders told everyone that the forest, too, was dangerous, he happily accepted the emptiness of it's woods. There he would set up targets, and drown himself in the sound of gun fire, ignoring the ignorance of those in the city.

Every night he would make his way back into the city and to his apartment, making sure to hide the gun he carried. Luckily the building was close to the forest line, and it was a quick travel. Tonight however was different. The festival called all of Salvation's people to fill the streets, and celebrate the coming of a new year in their 'perfect utopia'. Too many people were out, and so it was too difficult for Scryer to sneak away with his gun. He waited, sitting on the window sill of his fourth story bedroom.

When I think about it, sometimes I wish I could just accept this life, this monotonous existence. I wish I could dance along side the others, carefree and excited for another year in this hell. However, I know my heart yearns for more! The city lights still blinded him slightly when he gazed down on the sea of festivities. There must be thousands of them out there! So why me? Why am I the odd one out?No, I've had enough... tonight is the night I escape 'Salvation' forever!

Stepping down from the windowsill Scryer pulled an old suitcase from under his bed, and began to gather his stuff.

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